from the LP Introducing…, Vanguard Records, 1974If there is one individual that today’s seemingly endless slew of jazz-funk-ish jam bands (ala: Soulive, Garaj Mahal, Galactic, Deep Banana Blackout, Trey, et al.) owe a colossal debt of gratitude to, it’s guitarist Larry Coryell---particularly his project/troupe called the Eleventh House. Although much less well-known to music fans than is deserved (fellow musicians recognize and envy his abilities), Coryell should always be included in any discussion about top fusion guitarists, sitting easily alongside luminaries like McLaughlin or Scofield. He absolutely wails here, sounding not unlike an acid-rock guitarist during the solo, but rolling off the smoothest of jazz licks when vamping with the band; the band, by the way, certainly holds their own, with Alphonze Mouzon rocking a steady beat, Randy Brecker making that trumpet scream, and Mike Mandel (later of the Players Association) on the keys, supplying the song its deeply funky frame.
